Journalism

Overview

Ripon College offers pre-professional advising in journalism.

Most educators believe that a liberal arts and sciences education is essential for any good reporter. Journalists need to be well-informed in many areas and often face the challenge of interpreting and explaining complex, technical information in plain language for a diverse public. A liberal arts and sciences education prepares students to think rationally, to evaluate situations judiciously and to write clearly and effectively. These are the journalist’s most valuable skills.

Journalism students most frequently select majors such as English, politics and government, history, economics, philosophy or particular interest areas like music, theatre or art.

A self-designed major is yet another option. For example, one student designed a major in political communication involving an internship in Washington, D.C.; another supplemented a French major with a self-designed journalism major in preparation for a career as a foreign correspondent. If you wish to go on to specialized training in journalism, you may arrange to do so after three years at Ripon, receiving degrees from both Ripon and the journalism school of your choice.

Advising

Ripon College faculty and professional staff are dedicated to helping you reach your goals, whatever they may be and however often they may change along the way. It’s part of our value statement to you.

As a student at Ripon, you will be assigned a faculty adviser based on your area(s) of interest. You will meet with your faculty adviser throughout your time as a student to discuss your current aspirations, plan your course schedule and plot a future trajectory. Staff in the Office of Constituent Engagement and Career Services help to match your interests to concrete goals and construct a plan for success, offering support through three stages of career development – planning, exploration and search. Student Support Services provides tutoring and additional academic and skill development, as well as tools to help with note-taking, exam preparation, goal-setting and time management. Mentors in the Collaborative Learning Center provide in-depth, one-on-one or group mentoring for students about class projects and college-level writing, and can share problem-solving strategies to overcome academic obstacles.

Course & Requirements

Faculty

Off-Campus Study

Many students choose to study for a semester off-campus. Those students interested in journalism have chosen the Washington Semester (in our nation’s capital) or the ACM Chicago Program’s Urban Studies emphasis. Students interested in international affairs have chosen semesters in France, London, Spain and other European countries.

Whether you choose a program that is international or domestic, it is an experience bound to change your view of the world. Click to learn more about Off- Campus Study and Liberal Arts In Focus at Ripon College.

Internships

The following internships were held by current journalism students and recent Ripon College alumni:

Hardball with Chris Matthews – MSNBC, New Jersey

WDJT – CBS 58, Milwaukee

WBBM – Chicago

WMUR – New Hampshire

WEMI/WSCG – Appleton

WTMJ – NBC, Milwaukee

Unique Opportunities

Hands-On Experience

Students have excellent opportunities to gain direct journalistic experience by working for one or several of the following campus organizations:

College Days, Wisconsin’s oldest college newspaper

WRPN-FM, the campus radio station

Photogenesis, a photography organization

Crimson, Ripon’s yearbook

RPN-TV, a student-run video production organization

Parallax, an annual literary magazine

Awards

Milwaukee Press Club (oldest and most recognized press club in the nation) 2nd Place – Best News Story, “Times of Change,” Michael Timm, Editor-in-Chief; 2nd Place – Best Sports Coverage, Mike Sumnicht, Sports Editor

Graduate Success

Recent graduates have gone on to prestigious journalism schools, including Columbia University, the University of Missouri and the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism. Undergraduates also have held part-time jobs and credit-bearing internships at area newspapers and in the College’s own Office of Marketing and Communication.

Prominent Ripon alumni in the field include Bill Roberts ’41, former White House assistant press secretary; Curtis MacDougall ’23, one of the leading journalism professors in the country; Richard Threlkeld ’59, former CBS journalist most recently on assignment in Moscow; Walter Zimmerman ’67, former news director for a Wisconsin regional television station and now a television news director in Hawaii; Marti Spittell Ziegelbauer ’82, former anchor for a Green Bay, Wisconsin, television station and a consultant for Frank Magid & Associates in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Susan Bundock ’84, producer for the C-SPAN cable television network.